Who won the NASCAR race yesterday? Complete results from Sunday's playoff race at Las Vegas

The winner of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway bought himself peace of mind for the next couple of weeks.

Denny Hamlin doesn't have to worry about the upcoming chaos at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval, thanks to his win in the South Point 400. He finished 0.442 seconds ahead of defending Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who drove through traffic to cut into Hamlin's lead in the closing laps.

NASCAR AT LAS VEGAS: Results, highlights from South Point 400

Hamlin can now start preparing for the Round of 8 while the other playoff drivers fight to get into the next round.

Below is more about Hamlin's win Sunday, plus the complete results of the race.

Who won the NASCAR race yesterday?

Denny Hamlin won the first race of a round for the second time in a row in this year's playoffs. He also won the first race in the Round of 16, a victory at Darlington that put him into the Round of 12.

"I’m so happy to not have to worry about the next two weeks, but I am a professional and I will work just as hard each and every week to win," he told NBCSN's Dave Burns after the race.

"Vegas Baby!" 💰

Take a look at @dennyhamlin's final lap to win at @LVMotorSpeedway ! pic.twitter.com/zk8jYxNuRi

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 27, 2021

Hamlin was at his best in the second half of Sunday's race. He won Stage 2 and was out front for most of Stage 3. He gave up the lead during green-flag pit stops but retook control with 39 laps remaining after everyone had pitted.

Hamlin led a race-high 137 laps in the 267-lap event.

MORE: Watch NASCAR races live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) 

Elliott is sixth in the playoff points standings following his runner-up finish.

"Felt like we've been performing at a really nice level the last three or four weeks, we just haven't had great results to show for it," Elliott told Burns. "Proud of the effort tonight. I'm looking forward to the next two. It's going to be wild."    

NASCAR Cup playoff standings

NASCAR lists Denny Hamlin as being in first place because of his win Sunday, although he still trails Kyle Larson by 14 points in the standings. Larson is well on his way to the Round of 8 after a 10th-place run at Las Vegas. He is 57 points ahead of ninth-place driver William Byron.

Joining Byron below the cut line after the Round of 12 opener are Kevin Harvick, who moved off the bottom with a ninth-place finish; Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell. Byron, Bowman and Bell had the worst finishes among Round of 12 drivers. They came home 18th, 22nd and 24th, respectively.   

x-Clinched spot in Round of 8.

MORE: NASCAR playoffs, explained

NASCAR results from Las Vegas

Denny Hamlin was first among three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers to place in the top four Sunday. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. finished third and fourth, respectively. Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Eliiott broke up the group with a runner-up finish. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.   

The final two races in the Round of 12 are the YellaWood 500 at Talladega on Sunday, Oct. 3 (2 p.m. ET; NBC, TSN3, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and the Bank of American ROVAL 400 at Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 10.

P-Playoff driver.